lazy jacks

[Maineac38]

We recently purchased a 1988 Irwin Citation 38. It turns out the main is simply too much for the two of us. I've been researching lazy jack systems, but can't settle on a make. There are so many positive and negative reviews. I'll take any suggestions. I'd like to make a purchase soon.

Thanks for your help!!!!

Michael

[knothead]

I would suggest that you make your own. There is nothing complicated about lazy jacks and you can save a lot of money by fabricating them yourself.
I would also suggest that whatever you decide on, you have the kind that you can lower so that the sailcover can be used without having to be modified. Also, I have had good success installing lazy jack from a block hanging from the bottom of the lower spreaders. This is better than a cheek block attached to the mast in that it creates a vee that makes it easier to get the main sail headboard past.

[T37Chef]

Knothead is right on (he should be after all ) about the retractable capability of any system you choose or build. I also recommend the block from the spreader vs. the block on the mast...keeps the lines away which = less noise

I went with this one FWIW: www. ezjax .com

[Quickstep192]

I like the system that combines lazy jacks and sail cover. My main is by no means too big to handle, but dumping into the cover contains it better than lazy jacks alone. This is a plus for me since I'm often doing it alone.

[sailingdog]

I'd second making your own... I wrote about the system I made for my boat on my blog.

[osirissail]

I made my own "stackpacks/mackpack" sail cover/ lazy jack system and saved a thousand bucks (I have a 50ft sailboat with 450sqft mainsail). The lazy jack system is built first and then you sew up two vertical long panels that will ride inside the lazy jacks (attached to each down-line to hold up the sides up) tall enough to cover the flaked sail. Actually the long panels are sort of triangular as the part at the end of the boom need not be as large as the part at the mast. I even sewed in a horizontal panel between the left and right side vertical panels that has a long zipper in it. I can zip up the "bag" and the mainsail is totally enclosed and protected from the sun's UV and rain and dirt.

[pedcab]

I took the liberty of adapting saildog's picture (hope he doesn't mind) to add something I´ve fit to my lazyjack system after I experienced some difficulties in keeping it adjusted to a constant tension either while sailing or while at anchor with the boom raised:

I simply replaced a length of about 1 meter with shock cord!



This way I could discard the cleat system oftenly used to adjust lazy jack tension to the different situations.

I've seen to many guys forgetting to adjust their lazy jacks and either sailing with them over tensioned, thus interfeering with sail shape, or trying to put the sail down with the lazy jacks to loose and strugling to keep the sail on top of the boom...

In my boat the shock cord (which took a bit of experimentation to find the right length) does the trick for me, keeping the lazy jacks under just the right tension.

Regards!

[osirissail]

- - Shock cord or the rubber spring cord will loose its elastic capabilities when the cord is exposed to sunlight. It takes a few months but eventually the rubber inside part relaxes and no longer has any stretch. This can be delayed by coating the outside cover of the cord with ordinary suntan lotion SPF 40 or the highest SPF value you can find. Then the cord will last double or more the length of time. But you need to renew the suntan lotion every month or two.

[pedcab]

Originally Posted by osirissail

- - Shock cord or the rubber spring cord will loose its elastic capabilities when the cord is exposed to sunlight. It takes a few months but eventually the rubber inside part relaxes and no longer has any stretch. This can be delayed by coating the outside cover of the cord with ordinary suntan lotion SPF 40 or the highest SPF value you can find. Then the cord will last double or more the length of time. But you need to renew the suntan lotion every month or two.

Hey, that's a nice tip, altough sun lotion is a lot more expensive than 2m of shock cord

I've also experienced the issue you describe but only after one year or so and, here in Portugal, the sun shines during most of the year.

Nevertheless everyone adopting the shock cord system should keep orissail advice in mind: Shock cord doesn't last forever! (like anything else on board)

Still I prefer to change it every once in a while than having to manually tigthen the lazy jack everytime I raise my boom...

Regards!

[Boasun]

Lazy Jacks help you with the sails. Lazy Janes won't even do the dishes.
But you should research the Lazy Jacks and make your own that will fit your boat.